Etiology and Triggers in the Development of Fibromyalgia

FM is a chronic pain disorder which manifests with chronic widespread pain, accompanied by fatigue and mood and sleep disorders. The current concept views FM as the consequence of central nervous system malfunction resulting in amplification of pain transmission and interpretation. Our understanding of fibromyalgia has made significant advances over the past decade, still despite extensive research this disease’s clear etiology and pathophysiology is yet to be discovered. Current knowledge indicates several triggers and possible etiologies to the development of FM. Past research has demonstrated a role for polymorphisms of genes with clear familial aggregation and genetic underpinning in the etiopathogenesis of FM. Furthermore, the role of stressful events has been well established in the literature, depicting either mechanical stress as injury or psychological stress including early life trauma as trigger and predisposition for future development of FM. Not only recent studies exhibited development of FM in the workplace in correlation with stress, low work performance, and even posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Moreover, it is known that other various external stimuli such as infections or vaccinations may contribute to the development of the FM syndrome.